Three members of the Greater Cincinnati Stonewall Political Action Committee have resigned over the gay-rights group's decision to support those boycotting the city.

        A fourth member said she will quit this week.

        The four resigning board members — Freeman Durham, Lauren Koon, Doreen Quinn and Nancy Minson — make up a majority of the committee. They say Stonewall's position on the boycott could threaten the group's primary objective — to remove Article XII from the city's charter.

        Approved as Issue 3 by 68 percent of the city's voters in 1993, Article XII makes Cincinnati the only city in the country to prohibit its City Council from passing gay rights legislation.

        “To repeal Article XII, we need a broad coalition,” Mr. Durham said. “We need the African-American community. We need the business community. We need soccer moms. My concern is the boycott issue may alienate more people than it makes us friends, and could make the repeal of Article XII more difficult.”

        On Monday, Stonewall co-chairs Heidi Bruins and Roy G. Ford joined with other gay rights advocates in a show of “solidarity” with the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati, a key boycott group.

        The coalition, led by the Rev. James W. Jones, has recently persuaded entertainers Bill Cosby and Smokey Robinson to cancel appearances in Cincinnati because of the state of race relations in the city.

        Speaking on the steps of the Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center, the Stonewall members also repeated their call for a “convention and tourism ban” in Cincinnati — though not a complete boycott of downtown businesses.

        But Mr. Durham said he believes that some Stonewall leaders “misrepresented” the group's historical position on boycotts.

        He said Stonewall never explicitly advocated a ban on conventions — though it did target convention groups in an informational campaign.

        The resignations reveal a deep split within Stonewall that began to emerge with the April riots last year.

        After the riots, pro-boycott groups asked Stonewall to join their campaign. Stonewall declined, taking its cue from the Urban League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Both have declined to support it.

        “For a boycott to be successful, it has to be very focused, and it has to have a beginning, a middle and an end,” Ms. Quinn said.

        “And it has to be well thought out. I don't think we've done any of that.”

        But in August, new members joined the board of the Stonewall Human Rights Organization, which is closely related to the PAC.

        The resigning members say the new board was more radical and intent on joining the boycott movement.

        “They seemed to have a different approach to things and a different historical background. The people who are currently involved in the Stonewall Human Rights Organization, as far as I know, were not involved in the "No on Issue 3' campaign,” said Ms. Minson, who was campaign manager in 1993.

        She said she will resign next week after she talks to Stonewall board members.

        Ms. Bruins, who with Mr. Ford remains as co-chair of the PAC, agreed that there's a split in Stonewall's ranks.

        “The meetings last September were really contentious in terms of the emotional content of meetings,” she said. “A lot of accusations flew back and forth. I think it was more philosophical than anything else.

        “New members of the board wanted to be more broadly for civil rights, and not just (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) issues.”

        Ms. Bruins says that in order to repeal Article XII, gay rights groups have to work with like- minded civil rights organizations.

        “There is a perception, at least, that the African-American community came out and voted strongly for Issue 3. And since then, Stonewall has made no attempt to build bridges to the African-American community,” she said.

        The boycott controversy is taking a toll on Stonewall, Ms. Bruins said.

        The group has already seen declining membership and financial difficulties in the past year.

        “There has been a lot of name-calling going on this past week, and it's really gotten ugly,” she said. “They're coming across like they're saying that they're not against racism. I'm definitely not calling any individuals racists, but I think there is certainly racism in the LGBT community.”

        Responded Mr. Durham: “The NAACP has not endorsed the boycott. The Urban League has not endorsed the boycott. And I don't think you would question their commitment to ending racism.”

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